In the Darkest Night [Mass Market Paperback]

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Farran lives a life of fear after barely escaping the cruelty of her Tàireil family with her life. She also hides from the enemies of her kind, the Gineal, in fear of the reprisal they will take for her role in the near death of their Dragon Mage (see Edge of Dawn). As if that wasn't enough, she also has a demon hunting her and a strange new enemy she has never known before. The only chance she has of survival is to throw herself upon the mercy of her former best friend, Shona's, trouble shooter husband Logan. What Farran gets is Logan's twin Kel, a Gineal man battling with his own personal nightmares.

Kel Andrews is in agony. He is suffering severe PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) after being imprisoned and brutally tortured by the Tàireil. He experiences horrific nightmares almost daily that are slowly destroying him. When he shows up at his brother's house in search of some peace, he finds Farran, one of the Tàireil, desperately seeking protection. Kel reluctantly agrees to help her, especially when he discovers the odd calming effect she has on his suffering.

Soon Kel and Farran find themselves caught in a battle between various enemies wanting Farran and Kel dead. As they race against time to find a way to defeat their previously unknown enemies, they find healing with each other. But is the growing love between them enough to slay their worst demons, In the Darkest Night?

I had been really looking forward to reading Kel's story, especially since I knew from the end of Edge of Dawn that Farran would be his mate. I have had many instances over my years of reading when I fell in love with a secondary character or two, but the deep pain Kel and Farran were fighting touched me deeply and I wanted so much for them to find their own happiness. Here in In the Darkest Night, we have their story! Kel and Farran desperately need each other, even more than they realize. Yet they are absolutely terrified at what would happen when they gave their hearts and souls to one another. Both have been through severely abusive circumstances, different though they may have been, and this has changed them at their very cores. Watching them slowly come together, only to have something push them apart before they could come back to one another makes for an incredibly beautiful story.

In the Darkest Night is the perfect title for this novel as it speaks to so much of what we find between the covers. Both Kel and Farran are at very dark places in their minds and they need each other to provide the light to break through. This book is very gritty, really reaching deep into those bleak places in our couple's souls. There are some explicit torture scenes we see through Kel's nightmares, discovering just what he went through during his imprisonment. Patti never crosses the line into unacceptable range, and she never uses these scenes except when necessary for us to really understand how much Kel suffered. She also balances it out by providing many light moments as well.

I was especially intrigued by our new mystery characters of In the Darkest Night. I don't want to go into any detail to spoil the story for anyone, but these new beings are quite fascinating. I had a few different ideas of who and what they were. Let's just say, I was spot on in a few of my guesses, and way off the mark on a few others. Yet this only added to my enjoyment of the story as I tried to solve that little mystery.

One thing is absolutely certain after finishing In the Darkest Night. Patti O'Shea is at the top of her game and there's no telling where she will take us next on this adventure with the Light Warriors. I look forward to seeing what will come in the next book.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2010. All rights reserved.

I've read all of Patti O'Shea's books and enjoyed them, but she's really outdone herself this time. With In the Darkest Night she's created two of the most compelling, wounded characters I can remember reading in ages. I ached for Kel and Farran, and I don't normally react that strongly to fiction! I absolutely couldn't put this book down and was sad to see it end. A MUST READ!!!

Kel Andrews is a troubleshooter for the magical council, but he has been removed from active duty for personal issues that have nothing to do with his job, per se. Kel was kidnapped and tortured by darksiders and it left lasting issues including nightmares and fear. Kel doesn't think he can tell anyone what really is prolonging his nightmares, and is trying to just power through them. Finally, he decides to risk telling someone - leaving his home that night Kel meets someone the council and troubleshooters are all looking for.

Farran Monroe is stranded on the human plane after choosing to protect her best friend several months ago, instead of backing her family. Being a T`aireil (a darksider) she knows going home would bring a sentence of death, so Farran has been hiding out on this plane and working where she could. That is until one night when she is cornered by a demon and something even stranger has happened. Farran decides that she needs help and goes to the only troubleshooter she knows - her best friend's fiancé. Only to meet the man that tried to heal her the night she picked true friendship over her family.

Kel understands that danger has found Farran again and agrees to help protect her while they discover why she is suddenly so popular. Farran believes she can trust Kel because of who he is, but has been brought up to fear his council and the other troubleshooters. Kel and Farran quickly figure out that the demon isn't the only thing after her, but information that should be available for Kel is missing. During one attack on Kel and Farran, she discovers that she can produce magic stronger than even Kel's, which is strange as she is very, very weak magically. If this wasn't enough for two people to work out, Kel and Farran also need to figure out the passion that has been triggered between them. A passion that becomes stronger and stronger as the days go by. Answers finally come to Kel and Farran that just make things a bit stranger. Will knowing the answers help them defeat all enemies and find a future together?

When is an enemy your savior? That's something Farran discovers In The Darkest Night. Farran is separated from all she knows but it's either that or be put to death. Kel is struggling with the aftermath of his kidnapping and the effects on him. I wondered if Kel and Farran might come together after seeing what happened the night they first met. The passion that rose between them was a surprise when you figure that Farran believed Kel was an enemy, and I enjoyed watching Farran figure out that maybe she hadn't been told the truth. While it hurt to watch Kel struggle with his demons, I loved how helping and then loving Farran gave Kel the strength to go forward. With the answers that Kel and Farran received, it only makes me wonder what will be next in the Light Warriors world. In The Darkest Night combines passion with danger, and adds a topping of intrigue. A great final mixture for a good book from my point of view.

Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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